Rescue teams are searching waters off the coast of Egypt after a boat believed to be carrying some 600 migrants capsized Wednesday.

Egypt's health ministry says at least 29 people are confirmed dead, while 150 passengers were rescued.

Local media say the boat had traveled just five kilometers before it turned over near the village of Borj Migheizil, near the city of Rasheed, at a spot where the Nile River empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

Egypt has become a departure country for African and Middle Eastern migrants seeking to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe.

The International Organization for Migration says more than 3,200 people have died at sea this year trying to make the crossing.